


The Maria Lives AU

by FanGirlStephie



Series: The Maria Lives Au [1]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluffiness between Shadow and Maria, Gen, Maria is a boss, Maria is alive, Seriously she is, Shadow gets scars, Shadow he protec he attac but most importantly he aint gonna let Maria get hurt, Shadow is very protective
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:28:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24635359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanGirlStephie/pseuds/FanGirlStephie
Summary: What if GUN wasn't the only group around? What if another group ended the ARK? What if Shadow made a deal with them to protect Maria? A group named ARM makes a deal with Shadow. He agrees to be their weapon for missions. But GUN wants in on that too. So to protect Maria and her family, Shadow agrees to work for both of them. But then Eggman has to come in and eff everything up. Hopefully, this Sonic guy can help.
Series: The Maria Lives Au [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1781188
Kudos: 6





	The Maria Lives AU

**Author's Note:**

> This is also posted on DA and FF. Also, there is a picture of ML!Shadow on my DA. Also there will be a dramatic reading of this on my Youtube.

Shadow held onto Maria’s arm as they ran through the dimly lit hallways of the ARK. He needed to get her out of here! But those humans were hot on their trail. They were going to catch up to them soon if they didn’t get to the escape pod.  
Shadow was about to rush into the escape pod room, but he immediately stopped. There were already a bunch of soldiers there with guns pointed to them. Shadow looked slightly behind him as he heard the other soldiers coming closer. He looked back as the closest soldier spoke.  
“On behalf of the government military group, ARM, this colony has been shut down! Stand down or else we’ll shoot!” The soldier yelled.  
Shadow gritted his teeth in anger. “You’re not going to hurt Maria!” He yelled back.  
Shadow ran towards the agents and began to fight them. He threw Chaos spears at them, punched and kicked them, and dodged their bullets. But they fought back just as hard. Shadow was doing fine though even against their large group. Until he heard Maria scream.  
“Maria!” He called out in panic as he looked over to Maria. She was being grabbed by more soldiers.  
That’s when a soldier took his opportunity to shoot. Shadow began to run towards Maria but he got hit by the bullet. It grazed his left side hard. Shadow put a hand to his side and yelled out in pain. He was already getting even redder from the new bleeding wound.  
“Shadow! No! Stop it! Don’t hurt Shadow!” Maria yelled as she struggled to break free of the soldier’s grasp.  
Another soldier pointed a gun to Shadow. “Cease your actions! Now!” He yelled.  
“What… What do you want?” Shadow asked, wincing from the pain.  
“You’re Project Shadow. You’re the weapon created by Prof. Gerald Robotnik. You are what we’re after.” A soldier explained.  
“Don’t hurt Maria… and I will… go with you,” Shadow said through heavy breaths.  
“No… Shadow don’t! You’re supposed to go to Earth to help people! Not go with them! Please!” Maria begged.  
“We agree. We won’t harm the girl. But you must obey us. We’ll be keeping tabs on her at all times. If you ever get out of line… we won’t hesitate to harm her. Understood?” An agent said.  
“And how… will I know… that you won’t… go back on your word. How will I know… she’s still safe?” Shadow asked, speaking through the pain.  
“You will have authorized visits with her. Do we have a deal?” The agent asked.  
Shadow gave a simple nod as he looked intensely into the eyes of the head soldier there. The soldier then nodded his head to his comrades. They immediately lowered their weapons and grabbed onto Shadow’s arms.  
Shadow kept his eyes on Maria the entire time he was led through the door and away from the room. Maria was being led to the opposite way.  
“Shadow, please try to give the people on Earth a chance.” Maria managed to say before they were too far away from each other.  
“I promise,” Shadow said to himself since he was too far away from Maria now.  
Shadow was led onto a ship to go back to Earth. Someone put a bandage around his body to help stop the bleeding. It still really hurt though. Shadow looked out a window near him and saw another ship identical to the one he was on. Maria and his creator must be on that one. It hurt to be away from her. But he must do whatever it takes to keep her safe.  
The ship docked and Shadow was grabbed again. Shadow looked around the docking area. There was water around them. In front of them was a forest. Shadow’s never seen anything on the Earth before. The trees and animals and other plants there were beautiful. The wind felt nice and so was the smell and sounds. It seemed so peaceful.  
His brief moment of peace was interrupted when the agents pulled on him. “Come on you freak of nature! Walk!” A soldier yelled. Shadow sneered at them but did as he was told.  
Shadow tried to take in all he could of the forest as they walked through it. He wanted to memorize his first encounter with the Earth. He just wished he could have shared it with Maria. But soon they came up to a building.  
It looked very out of place amongst all the nature. It was too clean and plain and straight-sided. A perfect man-made rectangle amongst the unparalleled beauty of the nature around it. Shadow was taken inside and through one of the doors.  
Shadow entered a room that had nothing in it. As if it was some kind of in-between room. The soldiers let him go and Shadow flinched in reflex since any kind of movement still hurt. He looked at the soldiers around him questioningly. The soldiers looked at him expectantly.  
“What?” Shadow asked.  
“We know about you and your weaknesses. We know those rings around your wrists help regulate your Chaos energy. So you can use your powers consistently without passing out from using it all up at once. And your shoes help stabilize your speed so you can mauver correctly. While you are in here, you won’t be having your inhibitor rings or rocket shoes on. So take them off and hand them over.” An agent demanded.  
“Ngh… fine,” Shadow said through his pain. He handed over his rings and slipped off his rocket shoes.  
“Good. We’ll take you to the infirmary first. Then you will be taken to your cell.” The soldier told him. The other agents that took the items left the room, taking them somewhere else in the facility.  
Shadow was fixed up with new bandages and something for the pain. They stopped the bleeding for the most part and he was taken to his cell.  
There were cameras equipped with guns everywhere Shadow looked. The halls and every room were very bright and very plain just like the outside. It all looked the same too. Probably on purpose. It was also crawling with guards who all carried weapons on them.  
They stopped at a door. It was made of steel and had bolts on it. There were two slots on the door. One at the humans’ eye level and one at the bottom. The door also had a security lock near the handle. It needed a passcode and key card to open it. Which one of the agents did just that and opened the door.  
Shadow was taken inside the room. There was a plain bed, a sink and mirror, a trashcan, and a table and chair. But the worst thing was the small window looking out to the forest. That was just cruel.  
“You will stay here while not doing things for us. There will be guards at your door at all hours. If you dare to use your powers, the motion cameras will shoot you.” A soldier explained.  
“What kind of things?” Shadow questioned.  
“Missions. You’re our weapon now. We’ll use you as we please. And if you don’t comply, you know what will happen.” The agent answered.  
“I understand. Do I get to have anything to do while I wait?” Shadow asked with a raise of an eyebrow.  
“We’ll go get you some paper and pencils.” The soldier said with an attitude to Shadow.  
With Shadow now securely in his cell, the agents left him to the guards. They made their way to their boss to report on everything. They entered a room with lots of tv screens. A security room that showed all the views of the cameras.  
“Sir! We have the weapon Shadow. He’s ours now. As long as we know where Maria Robotnik is at all times, he will obey us.” One soldier said.  
“Good.” The head of ARM said with a smile. “But there is a bit of an issue.” He said and turned to his agents.  
“What could that be sir?” The agent asked in slight confusion.  
“Those damn GUN agents found out about our little mission. They threaten to shut us down if we don’t hand over Project Shadow to them.” The head of ARM explained.  
“What!? They can’t do that!” The soldier exclaimed. His boss put up a hand to quiet him.  
“I already spoke with them. We reached an agreement. He stays under our control and stays here on Prison Island. But they can freely use him for their missions as they need.” He finished explaining.  
The soldier sighed. “Of course they would be like that. I’ll go inform that damn experiment of this.” He said begrudgingly.  
So over the next 50 years, that’s what Shadow did. He acted as their greatest weapon for whatever mission they needed him for. Most of it was simply taking care of people who were deemed too dangerous or finding out information that was too hard to find.  
Eventually, he upgraded from the cell to an actual room. It had some more stuff in it, but it was still pretty basic. At least it had more to do than draw on paper. Shadow spent most of his free time sketching, watching tv, listening in on his guards, and messing with them. It was always fun to rile them up. He would also play music with the couple of instruments he received.  
Of course, not every guard left him alone. They knew he couldn’t do anything to them. So a certain few would spend their time beating him until it was boring. He’s gained two more scars from those guards and the missions. Along with the one on his side, he got one on his right shoulder and another across his back right in between his spines.  
Occasionally Shadow would be taken to another room for tests. They tested his connection to the Chaos Emeralds and his limit with his powers. They would push him and push him until he passed out. Then he would be taken back to his room. But Shadow was used to this. He went through many tests back on the ARK. They would test his survivability too. From diseases to gasses. But none of them ever affected him much. If at all.  
His powers have grown a lot as well. They were much more precise and fine-tuned. He could run at sonic speeds with the added bonus of ‘Chaos Boosts’. Which were boosts of chaos power that made him go a little faster for a short amount of time. He could teleport at will within a certain radius. His Chaos Spears were smaller but more plentiful and he could move them at will. They were like homing missiles now. His Chaos Blast was bigger and close to his power level when he doesn’t have his rings on. He even discovered a couple of new abilities.  
He had Chaos Sensory Enhancement, which was when he used his chaos powers to greatly enhance his five senses. For a specific amount of time of course. He also had Chaos Illusion, which was when he used his chaos powers to make double of him for a time. Lastly, he discovered with a deep connection to the Chaos Emeralds, he could will them to his hand within 60 feet.  
Everything Shadow goes through though was all worth it. As agreed, Shadow got scheduled visits from Maria. They would be able to see each other through a glass window. Shadow in one room on one side and Maria in another on the opposite side. But they could never touch the other. Shadow yearned for a hug from Maria, just once.  
Shadow was always relieved to see Maria. She’s grown into a lovely lady. She smiled at him when she entered the room. At this point, it hasn’t been that long. She still looked the exact same.  
“I have great news Shadow!” Maria said excitedly. Shadow couldn’t help the small smile that appeared from seeing her so excited.  
“What is it, Maria? What’s happened?” Shadow asked.  
“Grandfather did it, Shadow. Thanks to you, I’m cured. He’s finished his work with you. He worked so hard to create a cure for any disease and unlock the secret to immortality. And he’s finally done it!” Maria cheered.  
Shadow was surprised by the news. “A cure for any disease? Immortality? I knew he said I was the ultimate lifeform but… I didn’t know that.” He said.  
He looked at Maria and smiled. “I am relieved and happy to hear you will be alright, Maria. I will always do whatever I can to protect you.” He then said.  
“Shadow, I want you to be ok too you know. Not everything is about me.” Maria told him. Her eyebrows then furrowed. “You got hurt again. Didn’t you? How?” She asked, referring to Shadow’s scar on his shoulder.  
Shadow shook his head. “That doesn’t matter. I’m fine. I was made for you Maria. Everything in my life is dedicated to you. Don’t worry about me.” He said dismissively.  
“I always will Shadow.” She said smiling at him.  
About ten years after being taken by ARM, Maria told Shadow about someone she met. Maria was in her 20s now.  
“He’s really nice, Shadow. I really like him.” Maria told him. Shadow’s hands were clutched into fits. But he remained calm.  
“I see. But just so you know Maria, if he ever hurts you in any way… his days are numbered.” Shadow warned with narrowed eyes. Maria giggled at that.  
“Don’t worry Shadow. I told him about things that are going on. He doesn’t mind. He said he just wants to be with me and see me happy. He’s a lot like you that way. Here’s a picture of us.” Maria said. She held up her phone against the glass. Shadow sighed, she looked so happy talking about this guy and in the picture.  
“Alright. If he’s that important to you, then he is important to me too.” Shadow then said. Maria clapped her hands happily.  
“Oh yay! I’m so happy you accept! I hope someday you can meet him, Shadow. I know you’ll like him.” She said. Shadow doubted that would ever happen.  
“Yes. I hope so too.” He said, half lying to her. He did hope he could be free with Maria, but he just didn’t believe that would ever happen.  
Soon enough, Maria got married. She explained to Shadow what that meant. He congratulated her but felt a little nervous.  
Maria smiled at Shadow. “Don’t worry Shadow. You’re still one of the most important people to me. Nobody could ever replace you in my heart.” She told him, knowing that he felt nervous about someone new in her life.  
Shadow was surprised she could read him so well. But then he felt ridiculous about being so surprised. Of course, she could read him that well.  
“Thank you, Maria.” He said with a soft smile.  
After getting married, Shadow began noticing something during Maria’s visits. Something was going on with her, but he couldn’t place it. Until he was shocked to see her one day with a round stomach.  
Maria laughed at his reaction. She then explained that she was having a child with her husband. She had to explain all about reproduction to him. He was created in a lab after all and his creator wasn’t really much of a teacher.  
She had two children. She wouldn’t bring them with her on her visits. She didn’t want them to be scared of the guards. So her kids would be with their dad at home while she came to the island to see Shadow. Of course, she showed off lots of pictures to make up for it.  
Shadow felt something when seeing those pictures. He wasn’t sure what it was he felt. But he vowed to himself that he would protect Maria and her family no matter what. But of course, Maria’s family only gave ARM and GUN more power over him.  
Over the years, Shadow liked hearing about Maria’s family. And all the milestones they achieved in human life. “And I’ve been trying to teach her how to say names. Like yours. She tries really hard to say ‘Shadow’ too. It’s so cute.”  
“She started school recently. Oh, I didn’t want to let her go!”  
“You should have seen the way my husband reacted when she introduced her boyfriend. I knew he was so much like you, Shadow.”  
“Shadow! I have amazing news! I’m going to be a grandmother!” Shadow listened to all of it happily. These visits were truly the best part of each month. He never thought he would have so much more he needed to protect.  
Recently he got news from GUN that he would be working with someone new. The agents kept saying that he would like this person. They said it in a way that confused him. Were they mocking him? The tone sounded similar to that. Like they were… teasing him or something.  
Currently, he was being escorted by GUN in their facility to meet their agent. They were apparently going to be Shadow’s new boss for missions. He’ll be working every one of his GUN missions with this person from now on. Shadow didn’t really care much for any of the agents. Not beyond their name and rank that is. But this one surprised him.  
Shadow walked into some kind of meeting room. There was a long table and lots of chairs. There were a couple of higher-ups sitting around. But there was another person. A white female bat wearing boots and a sleeveless catsuit.  
She turned to Shadow when he came in and smiled. She got up and held out her hand. "Well now, aren't you the handsome one. The name is Rouge. Rouge the bat." She greeted him.  
Shadow gave her a nod and shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Rouge. I was told I'll be working with you from now on." He greeted her.  
Rouge giggled. “So formal. Please just call me Rouge.” She said.  
“If that is what you wish. As my new superior, I will do as you say.” Shadow said as if he’s said that many times before. Rouge then walked closer to him.  
“You don’t have to be so stern and rigid you know. This is going to be fun, working together. I promise.” She said still with that smile of hers.  
Shadow placed his hands on her shoulders and moved her away from him a bit. “Personal boundary. Please.” He said as he let go.  
“Oh, you’re going to be lots of fun! I’m already excited for our first mission together. And I would love to stay and chat, but I really must be going now. I’ll see you around handsome.” Rouge said. She gave a little wave bye to Shadow and left.  
Shadow watched her leave. He thought about their interaction just now. The way she talked and her body language… it perplexed him. Most people he meets are nervous around him, like all the agents in the room are. But she wasn’t nervous at all. She sounded confident. As if she thought she could handle him. He’d like to see her try to take him in battle. But he can’t fight his superiors. It wasn’t the first time he’s met an animal like him. He’s met a couple of female agents before that were animals as well. They would have a similar body language as Rouge. But Shadow still had no idea why they would act and sound the way they do.  
It wasn’t until a few missions of theirs later that Shadow figured out why Rouge acts the way she does. They had a mission where they had to retrieve a very important item. They hid and watched the guards in front of the vault door that held the item. Shadow was ready to easily knock them out. But Rouge stopped him.  
“Stand down big boy. I got this. You just get ready to get in there and grab that item.” Rouge ordered. Shadow looked disappointed as he put away the gun he had out.  
Rouge then got down and rounded the corner to face the guards. They were on alert at first but Rouge’s confident smile didn’t sway.  
“Oh my! What handsome guards you are. It must get so incredibly boring just standing around all the time. Would you gentlemen like to have a drink with me? I own a bar downtown.” Rouge flirted.  
The guards completely fell for it and followed Rouge, completely forgetting about the item they were guarding. Rouge let them follow her around the corner. Once they were gone, Shadow jumped down in front of the vault. He raised his hands to charge up a Chaos Spear attack. But he paused when he heard fighting. He decided to get this over with quickly just in case Rouge needed his aid.  
“Chaos Spear!” He yelled and blew up the vault door. He turned on his boots and flew over to the middle of the room. He snatched the item and flew out. He landed and saw Rouge walking over to him. Not a scratch on her.  
“That was too easy! You got the item then?” She asked.  
“Yes, I did,” Shadow said, showing it to her.  
“Good, let’s get back to GUN then sweetie.” She said, giving Shadow a smile. They then began leaving the place.  
“You know I could have taken care of those guards easily. You didn’t have to lure them away.” Shadow commented.  
Rouge gave him a smirk. “But if you did everything, then I wouldn’t have any fun. And I do love to have fun.” She said to him, giving a wink.  
“It’s Shadow. And I know it’s not my place to question my superiors, but what is that technique you do? You have the same tone and body language even to me.” Shadow asked.  
Rouge couldn’t help but laugh. “You mean ‘flirting’? Oh, that is adorable that you don’t know! Look at you, you’re all confused over it! It’s so cute!” Rouge said, continuing to laugh.  
Shadow looked confused at her. “Flirting?” He questioned, unfamiliar with the term.  
“Yes. Flirting. I’m a bit of a flirt as people would say. It means I like to… charm men. I use my physical appeal to my advantage. Get it?” Rouge explained.  
Shadow thought for a moment. “You mean to say… you use seduction as a tactic against male opponents. But I still don’t understand why you do that to me.” He said.  
“Oh, I just like to see your reaction. You always do this cute little thing with your nose whenever I call you sweetie or say you’re cute. See! Just like that! It’s just so much fun to tease you.” Rouge explained more.  
Shadow crossed his arms and looked away with a frown. “I just don’t like being called those things. My name is Shadow! And I am not ‘cute’!” He retaliated.  
“Sure you’re not. Big boy.” Rouge continued to tease. It made Shadow scowl at her. Which she giggled at.  
He didn’t know quite how to feel about Rouge, like with almost everyone. But he had to admit, his GUN missions were more… entertaining now. Not ‘fun’ like she always says. But entertaining nonetheless. Rouge did like to talk though. And tease him. But it wasn’t as annoying as other agents before her. She would ask him the strangest questions as well.  
“So… what’s with the stripes?”  
“It’s just the way I was designed.”  
“What’s with the chest fur? I mean, not that I’m complaining.”  
“It’s just how I was designed.”  
“How’d you get those scars?”  
“Different fights I was in.”  
“So what’s your favorite food?”  
“I don’t see how that’s important. But I don’t have one. I haven’t had much different food, to begin with.”  
“Ok, what do you do to relax?”  
“I don’t see why you should know. But I sketch what I see through my window, or play an instrument, or work out. But I mostly like to mess with my guards.”  
Shadow didn’t understand why she insisted on asking such things. But she was his superior and he had to answer her questions.  
One day Shadow was in his room. He finished another mission and was having some much-deserved relaxation time. But that was when alarms began to blare. Shadow sat up in his bed, looking over to the door. He wondered what was going on. Who would or even could break into Prison Island?  
Shadow got his answer when his door was blown off. It landed on the floor with a loud thud. Shadow got up and assumed a fighting position. He may not have his things on at the moment, but he could still fight. But he was startled when he saw a large man in red with a big mustache.  
“Prof. Robotnik?” Shadow uttered with wide eyes. He then shook his head. “No. That can’t be. You’re not him. He died years ago. You’re… you’re…” For some reason, he could think of the name at this moment.  
“Dr. Eggman! I used to be Ivo Robotnik. But that’s in the past. How are you doing, Shadow?” Eggman said with a grin as he entered the room.  
“Ivo… I think I remember you now. What are you doing here?” Shadow questioned.  
“Well, you see Shadow, my grandfather, your creator, was my idol growing up. That’s why I’m an evil scientist now. And as the scientist in the family, I feel that it’s my right to own you. I’m sure it’s what grandfather would have wanted. So come with me and do as I say.” Eggman explained.  
Shadow crossed his arms and looked away from him. “I would never do such a thing. Leaving here would mean Maria would come to harm. And that is simply not allowed to happen. Got it? So leave here and never ask me that again!” He yelled.  
Eggman gave him a glare. “Maria huh? Fine then. I’ll leave. But one thing you should know about me Shadow, I am never down for long! I’ll make you work for me.” Eggman vowed and then left.  
Shadow had a bad feeling crawl up his spine. The way Eggman said that last thing made him uneasy. But he didn’t have the time to worry about it right now. He had to get his door fixed as soon as possible. So Shadow gave a small sigh and lifted his door up. He placed it against the wall as some agents came.  
Across the ocean, Maria was having a nice time with her family. Even though she was in her 60s, she looked half her age in her 30s. She had a guess that it was a side effect of Shadow’s immortality. She was making her grandkids lunch when there was an explosion. She screamed as she turned around to see robots pouring into her home. But she then glared as Eggman entered the room.  
“Well if it isn’t my dear cousin. I hope you don’t mind me dropping in like this. But I really need you right now.” Eggman said with an evil grin.  
“Ivo! I’ve told you, you’re no cousin of mine anymore. What are you doing here!? Get out of my home! How did you get past the agents guarding us?” Maria exclaimed.  
Eggman then pointed to her. “Grab her Metal Sonic!” He ordered. Metal Sonic then flew past Eggman and swiftly grabbed Maria’s arms.  
Maria struggled but couldn’t get out of the literal steel grip of the robot. Eggman put his hands behind his back, looking as smug as ever.  
“You wound me, my dear cousin. We used to be so close. Whatever happened to us?” Eggman asked in a mocking tone.  
Maria glared at him. “You became evil and disgraced Grandfather’s name! That’s what happened! You egg-shaped jerk!” She yelled.  
“You’ll be singing a different tune once I use grandfather’s ultimate lifeform to take over the entire world!” Eggman declared and laughed evilly. Maria gasped and her eyes widened.  
“Shadow… No.” She whispered in horror. Shadow was going to be in danger! She had to do something to keep him safe!  
Eggman then left with his robots following him. Metal Sonic kept his grip on Maria as he followed Eggman. They went all the way to one of Eggman’s bases. It was a base that was completely hidden in plain sight. It looked like any other building in the city. But on the inside, it was 100% completely an Eggman base.  
They entered the main computer room. Metal Sonic still kept his grip on Maria the entire time. Eggman went to his computer and typed. The screen showed him hacking his way into Prison Island’s security system. He brought up the camera for Shadow’s room.  
“Now then, to send Shadow his first orders. Taking care of that darn hedgehog Sonic! The bane of my existence!” Eggman declared before typing away again.  
“Sonic? I wonder…” Maria said under her breath. She began to get an idea from that.  
Shadow was in his room, practicing his form and fighting moves. Until his tv suddenly turned on. He stopped and looked at it as the screen changed to show Eggman. Eggman grinned and took a step back so he was in the whole frame.  
“I told you I’m never down for long. Now, this is what you’re going to do. You will leave Prison Island. You will find that blue hedgehog, Sonic. And you will defeat him for me! And why would you? I bet you’re wondering. Well… this is why!” Eggman said.  
He stepped aside with his arm extended to show Maria. Eggman let out an evil laugh. Shadow’s eyes widened.  
“Shadow!” Maria called out as she struggled against Metal Sonic.  
“Maria!” Shadow called out. His heart raced to see her like that. It was just like back then when she was young.  
Shadow gritted his teeth and looked away. He couldn’t stand to see her captured like that again. He heard Eggman chuckle.  
“Good. I assume I have your cooperation then. Do as I say. When you’re done defeating Sonic, bring me the Chaos Emeralds! Or else I’ll have Metal Sonic here have some target practice.” Eggman said. He then ended the transmission.  
“That damn bastard!” Shadow growled. He knew he had a bad feeling for a reason. That Sonic guy better prepare himself. Cause nothing will stand in his way of protecting Maria.  
So Shadow turned his head to one of the cameras. He then quickly raised his hand, summoned small Chaos Spears, and destroyed each camera’s gun. Shadow then teleported away.  
Shadow reappeared in the room his rings and shoes were held in. He quickly used more spears to destroy the camera guns in this room as well. He dodged the bullets of the guards and quickly knocked them out with swift hard kicks to the head. He then walked over and put on his inhibitor rings and rocket shoes.  
“He wants the Chaos Emeralds, huh? Might as well kill two birds with one stone then. I’ll grab the ones they have in here on the way out.” Shadow said to himself. He once again teleported away.  
He reappeared in a different room. It had three Chaos Emeralds in it underneath glass like in a jewelry store. Shadow waved his hand to the side to destroy the cameras and guns. As he walked closer to the emeralds, he dodged the guards like it was nothing. He gave one an intense look and used his shoes to fly over and knock him out. He did the same with the rest of the agents. He then grabbed all of the emeralds and tucked them away.  
“Shadow.” A familiar voice called out from the doorway. Shadow looked over to see Rouge.  
“Don’t try to stop me Rouge,” Shadow warned her.  
“I know Maria was taken. The agents guarding her informed us. I want to help you.” She said sincerely. Shadow looked surprised for a moment. Then he gave a nod.  
“Alright. Let’s go.” He said. He walked over to her and grabbed her hand. He teleported them both out of the building.  
They appeared right outside the building. “I have a speedboat we can use. It’s over that way.” Rouge said. Shadow gave her a nod. He looked over to the building and then turned to it.  
Shadow then raised his hand and prepared lots of small Chaos Spears. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to destroy this place. It used him as a weapon. It took him away from Maria! They deserved this! But… he couldn’t do it.  
Maria wouldn’t want him to. He just couldn’t hurt them. Even when he wanted to. He made a promise to her. So he lowered his arm and the spears dissipated into nothing. Rouge looked back to him, not knowing what just almost happened.  
“Shadow? Let’s go. You need to help Maria.” She said, sounding worried. Shadow turned to her and began walking.  
“Yes. Maria is the most important thing right now.” Shadow said. They left the island then as the alarms blared and all the agents were running around.  
Meanwhile, Maria had her own plan to enact. This hedgehog named Sonic must be a hero if Eggman hates him. So she just needed to contact him. But she was going to need to get Eggman away from that computer. And to get this robot to let go of her. But how?  
Eggman was sitting and relaxing with his feet up as he waited. He hummed to himself happily, imagining Sonic’s demise. Maria looked at Metal Sonic, silently floating close to her holding her hands behind her. She then got an idea.  
“Hey, Ivo! I have to admit, this robot of yours is very impressive. What do you call it again?” Maria asked.  
Eggman looked back at her. “That’s Metal Sonic of course! He’s my best robot! He’s made to be just as fast and skilled as Sonic is!” Eggman bragged.  
“Wow! That’s amazing Ivo! I had no idea you could make something like that. Could you show me more? I terribly miss seeing all of my grandfather’s inventions. Please? For old time’s sake?” Maria asked with big pleading eyes.  
“Well… I do like to show off my work. Oh alright! Metal, you make sure she doesn’t go anywhere. I’ll go get my favorite robots!” Eggman said giddily. He then left the room.  
Once he was out of sight, Maria looked over at Metal Sonic. “I’m sorry about this. It’s not your fault you were made by Eggman. I wish you weren’t forced to be evil.” Maria apologized sincerely.  
Metal Sonic looked at her with a slight head tilt, confused by her words. She then rammed Metal Sonic into the wall behind her. Metal Sonic tightened his grip which made her yelp from the pain. Maria glared and turned around and fell backward onto the floor. Metal Sonic was smashed against the floor hard. It caused him to loosen his grip.  
Maria slipped her hands out. Metal Sonic got up and flew towards her. Maria looked at him intensely and moved aside out of his path. Metal Sonic stopped and turned towards her to fight her hand to hand. Maria continued to dodge his attacks. Once she had her opportunity, she kicked his jaw, sending him straight up.  
Metal Sonic fell back down to the floor with a crash. Maria didn’t hesitate to dig her heel into Metal Sonic’s head. Metal Sonic had a good hole in his head now. He sparked and had ‘error’ in his eyes.  
“And that’s why I never leave home without my high heels. I swear they were made to be weapons. It’s a good thing I decided to take up self-defense classes. Especially against robots.” She said. Maria then ran over to the computer.  
She typed quickly. “If I know Ivo, he definitely has some kind of link to his enemy. He’s got such a big ego and must call to brag all the time. Now, where is- Oh!” Maria said as she searched.  
“Sonic and Tails? I wonder who Tails is. A friend of Sonic I bet. Ok, let’s call!” She said as she found what she was looking for. She then began the call.  
Tails was working on his beloved plane when he got a call on his trusty Miles Electric. He was under the plane when the call started. He pulled it out and rolled his eyes. “Eggman again.” He said and then answered.  
“Hello? You must be Tails, right? Please, I need Sonic’s help! My name is Maria and Eggman has captured me! Please, Shadow might be in danger because of this! He’s one of the most important people to me.” Maria pleaded quickly.  
“Oh my gosh!” Tails exclaimed. He instinctively went to get up, but he was still under the plane and hit his head. “Ow!” He rolled out of the plane, sat up, and rubbed his head.  
He then faced his device. “Right away, miss! Sonic will rescue you in no time! Don’t worry about a thing!” Tails grinned.  
“Thank you. I’m so worried about Shadow. Please stop my cousin before he tries to take over the world again.” Maria smiled.  
“I’ll go get Sonic now!” Tails replied and then they hung up. He then paused for a moment. “Wait… cousin?” He asked.  
Tails immediately went and told Sonic. Sonic jumped into action and then went to find Eggman’s base to rescue Maria. Of course, Tails tracked the call to where his base is. They ran and flew through the city to get to it.  
When Eggman got back, he was angry Maria hurt Metal Sonic. Maria gave the excuse that he was holding her too tightly. Which worked since Metal Sonic had such sharp hands. Eggman had other robots watch her as he took Metal Sonic away. He grumbled and said that he was going out to get a much-wanted back-up power source for his plan.  
Meanwhile, Shadow and Rouge got to the city. Rouge turned to Shadow. “I’ll go and start investigating. I have a feeling I know exactly what Eggman will go after if he wants the Chaos Emeralds. Then I’ll follow him to his base.” She said.  
Shadow nodded. “I’m going to find Sonic the hedgehog.” He said, extremely focused. He then ran off using his speed.  
Rouge quickly got to the Master Emerald. She was hiding at first, watching the emerald. But she was found by a certain red echidna. Knuckles marched over to her hiding spot.  
“Hey! Who’s there!? Come out! I know you’re hiding! Don’t you dare think about stealing the Master Emerald!” He yelled.  
Rouge came out of her hiding spot with a smile on her face. “You should relax big boy. Even though I usually would love to have my hands on such a beautiful gem, I really can’t right now.” She said with a bat of her eyes.  
Knuckles was a bit shocked at seeing her. “A girl!? L-Listen her bat girl! I’ll guard this emerald to my last breath! Don’t even look at it!” He then yelled. Rouge rolled her eyes.  
“And listen to me, sweetie. I usually would take it. I am a treasure hunter in my spare time. But I’m not here for that now. Oh, why are morons always so cute?” Rouge told him.  
Knuckles blushed slightly. “W-What!? Moron!? Cute!? Stop saying things like that! I am a strong manly guardian!” He yelled.  
They would have kept arguing but then Eggman showed up in his flying Eggman vehicle, the Eggpod. “I’ll be taking that!” He yelled as he used the claw on his Eggpod to grab the emerald.  
“Hey!” Knuckles and Rouge both yelled.  
Knuckles then jumped up. “You’re not taking that anywhere!” He yelled right before smashing the Master Emerald into pieces.  
“Y-You shattered it!” Rouge exclaimed in shock.  
“Darn you! You dumb echidna! No matter. It’s not really essential anyway.” Eggman said. He then flew away to go back to his base.  
“Why did you do that!?” Rouge asked Knuckles.  
Knuckles scoffed. “Don’t worry. If the Master Emerald is broken, I can fix it. It’s just one of the reasons why I’m the guardian.” Knuckles said proudly.  
“Well, that’s good. Now I gotta go. I gotta follow Eggman!” Rouge said and she flew off.  
“Wait, why?” Knuckles asked, but Rouge already was too far gone. “Hmm… something must be going on here.” He said to himself. Then he began finding the pieces.  
In the city, two different hedgehogs ran towards different destinations. But they ended up running into each other anyway. It seemed almost like time slowed down as they ran at super speed right past each other. They looked at each other and both skidded to a stop, facing each other.  
“You. You’re that blue hedgehog. Sonic.” Shadow said. Sonic smirked at him.  
“Aww, I’m famous. Yep, that’s me! Are you a fan? You must be if you look like that and can run like that. Or is it the shoes?” Sonic teased. He playfully stuck his tongue out.  
Shadow gritted his teeth. “Are you mocking me!? This isn’t a game! Prepare to end, Sonic.” He said. Sonic waved his hand to Tails.  
“You go on ahead. I’ll handle this fake hedgehog.” He said. Tails nodded and flew away. Then the fight began.  
Shadow charged up his Chaos Spears and threw them as Sonic. Sonic tsked with a shake of his head and dodged them. But he was surprised when they began to follow him.  
“Uh oh!” Sonic said as he began to run around. He then smirked as he caused the spears to crash into each other.  
“Ha! Too slo- Gah!” Sonic was going to say but Shadow didn’t give him time to rest and gave him a roundhouse kick to the back of the head.  
Sonic fell to the ground but quickly got up. He faced Shadow and spun into a ball, using his homing attack. Before he could hit Shadow, Shadow teleported away. Sonic stopped and turned around to see Shadow reappear.  
“Oh come on! Now that’s just cheating.” Sonic complained. Shadow scoffed.  
“Chaos Illusion!” He yelled out. Then another Shadow appeared and they both ran towards Sonic.  
“Geez, what else can you do dude?” Sonic said as he ran towards them as well. He began to fight both of them.  
“You know, for once, I kinda wish Amy was here. Maybe she’d see you and stop chasing after me! Remind me to introduce you two!” Sonic said and laughed as he fought off the two Shadows.  
There was a lot of punching and kicking. Sonic cheered as he finally landed a punch on one. But it disappeared into a cloud of smoke. It was the fake Shadow. “Aww come on!” Sonic yelled out as the real Shadow was behind him.  
“Chaos Blast!” Shadow yelled. Then a blast of pure Chaos energy exploded from him. Sonic yelped and was blown back. The radius of it was rather large.  
Once the energy disappeared, Sonic was seen laying on the ground. He was face down and trying to get back up. Shadow came over and placed a foot on Sonic’s back to keep him there.  
“Admit defeat, blue hedgehog. Don’t make me end you. I will if it means keeping Maria safe.” Shadow said with narrowed eyes.  
“Wait! Did you say, Maria? Are you Shadow? I didn’t know she was talking about another hedgehog.” Sonic said.  
Shadow was stunned. How could he know Maria!? In his moment of shock, Sonic took the opportunity to spin around and get up. Shadow stumbled back a bit but managed to stay on two feet.  
“Look! We don’t have to fight! Tails and I are already on our way to save Maria! Just stop fighting with me and we can save her together!” Sonic exclaimed.  
“How can I trust your word?” Shadow asked.  
Sonic grinned at him. “I’m a hero, Shads. She asked me for help and I’m gonna help. Eggman can’t even dream of beating me!” Sonic replied.  
“Alright. We’ll work together. I apologize for hurting you. And it’s Shadow.” Shadow said. Sonic gave him a wave of his hand.  
“Oh don’t worry about it Shads. I get it all the time. Trust me.” Sonic replied with a grin.  
“It’s Shadow,” Shadow said through gritted teeth.  
“Eh, I like Shads better. I give nicknames to my friends all the time.” Sonic said.  
“I’m not your friend,” Shadow replied.  
“Whatever you say Shads,” Sonic said with a wink. “I’ll race you to Eggman’s base!” He then grinned and ran off.  
“It’s Shadow,” Shadow muttered and ran off as well.  
Meanwhile, Tails reached the base. “There must be security all over the outside and inside. I gotta shut it down right away!” He said. He then went over to the building and connected his PAD with it.  
“I see you, little Fox. If you’re hacking the security, then you must be here to help Maria, right?” Rouge’s voice sounded from somewhere.  
Tails looked around and saw a camera pointed right at him. There must be a speaker in it somewhere.  
“Uh… yes? Maria asked us for help. So we came right over! Er well, Sonic will be here soon.” Tails answered.  
“I’m Rogue. I’m here for the same reason. I managed to sneak in. But I can’t go further without taking down the security. Let’s work together. I’ll attack it from in here, and you do so out there.” Rouge said.  
“Good idea! We’ll completely take it out with that!” Tails said with a smile. He then got to work.  
While Rogue worked on taking it down from the inside on a computer, she found something. It was labeled Project Shadow. She clicked on it and saw almost all the information on the project. She decided to copy and save it to her personal device. Thinking Shadow and Maria would rather have it instead of Eggman. She could always delete it later. But Maria was needed right now. Then the security was finally down.  
Once the two were done, that’s when Sonic and Shadow showed up. “Tails! Is it safe to go in?” Sonic asked.  
“It sure is Sonic! Thanks to this Rouge person inside.” Tails answered.  
“She’s here? That’s good.” Shadow said.  
“Ooh, she a friend of yours, Shads?” Sonic asked in a teasing and suggestive way.  
“Why did you say ‘friend’ that way? And no, I don’t have friends. She’s my superior when we work together at GUN.” Shadow replied.  
“Except for me! I’m your friend! Now let’s rescue Maria!” Sonic said and then ran inside. Shadow ran in after him, grumbling about not being his friend. Tails flew in after both of them.  
The three of them joined up with Rouge and together they got to the main computer room. Shadow and Sonic immediately destroyed the robots that were inside.  
“Maria!” Shadow called out.  
“Shadow! You’re ok!” Maria exclaimed. She went over to him and hugged him. Shadow hugged back. He finally got to have a hug from her again. The emotion that came from it almost brought tears to his eyes.  
“I should be saying that about you,” Shadow said when he was put down from the hug.  
“I’m perfectly fine.” Maria smiled. Then she turned to Sonic and Tails. “Thank you Sonic. Shadow will be ok now, thanks to you.” Maria said.  
Sonic gave her a thumbs up. “All in a day’s work for Sonic the hedgehog!” He bragged.  
Shadow shook his head. “You’re the one who matters, Maria. Not me. Only your safety is important. Which is why we need to get you out of here!” Shadow said.  
“Aww, how touching. It’s a little reunion. Too bad it’s far too late!” Eggman said as he stepped into the room with an evil grin on his face.  
“Eggman! Let Maria go and stop whatever it is you’re planning!” Sonic yelled, ready to fight more. Shadow was also ready to fight him now that Maria was ok.  
“Oh but it’s already underway. You see, my grandfather created a weapon. The greatest weapon of all. And, no, it’s not Shadow. This machine is called the Eclipse Cannon. It has world-ending properties. It’s already powered up to level 2. Since I was out getting Chaos Emeralds to power it. It may not be fully powered yet, but it can still do a lot of damage.” Eggman explained.  
“You’re mad, Eggman!” Rouge yelled.  
He chuckled evilly and then pointed at Shadow and Maria. “If Shadow doesn’t give me the rest of the emeralds and defeat Sonic, then I will use it to destroy Maria’s home! With all of her dear family inside.” He threatened.  
“No!” Shadow and Maria yelled in fear. Shadow grit his teeth and growled. Then he looked over to Sonic and Tails.  
“Shadow. Don’t do what I think you’re thinking about doing! We can still defeat him if we work together! I promise!” Sonic exclaimed, not liking the look on Shadow’s face.  
Shadow then used his super-speed to run into Tails, smashing him against the wall. He grabbed the two Chaos Emeralds Tails had. Shadow sped back over to Eggman and handed him all five emeralds.  
“Ngh… How did he know I had those?” Tails questioned as he recovered.  
Shadow stayed quiet as he began to fight Sonic yet again. Sonic jumped and dodged and fought back. While they were fighting, Tails went over to Maria. Tails put a finger to his lips as he took Maria’s hand and snuck her out of the room.  
Eggman had his attention on the two fighting hedgehogs. “Good Shadow! I wish I could stay and watch Sonic’s defeat, but I’ll be heading off now. I got a world to conquer!” He said with more evil laughing. Eggman left with the emeralds. Rouge got an idea and left also. Sonic tried to reason with Shadow while they fought.  
“Come on Shads! I thought we were friends! We can beat Eggman if we just work together!” Sonic repeated.  
“Stop calling me that! I will do whatever I have to for Maria and her family! They are all that matters!” Shadow yelled as he gave Sonic an uppercut.  
Maria and Tails then came back in. “Shadow!” Maria called out. “Shadow, listen to him! I know Ivo really well. He’s not going to keep his promise as GUN and ARM do! He’ll hurt everyone if it means he’ll get what he wants!”  
Shadow stopped from Maria’s words. He looked over to her and then at Sonic. He gave a sigh and looked at the ground. “I remember you saying you wanted those on Earth to have a chance. You wanted me to help them. Now is the time to give them that chance.” He said.  
“Shadow,” Maria said in relief with a smile on her face. Sonic then gave a smirk.  
“I hope this is the last time you flip flop like this. It’s giving me a headrush.” Sonic teased with a laugh. Then he grinned. “Let’s get to the ARK and defeat that egghead!”  
Shadow then looked around. “Where did Rouge go?” He asked. Everyone else looked around as well. Then as if on cue, she comes back into the room. Following her was Knuckles with the Master Emerald in one piece.  
“I have an idea on how to take care of that Cannon. If it’s powered by Chaos Emeralds, then we can depower it with the Master Emerald.” Rouge said.  
“Great idea! Can you do that Knuckles?” Sonic asked. Knuckles stuck up his nose proudly.  
“Of course I can! I’m the guardian of the Master Emerald after all! It will be a piece of cake!” Knuckles said.  
“Awesome! Let’s take Tails’ plane and get to that ARK!” Sonic replied, pointing heroically out the room.  
Shadow looked over at Maria. “Maria, I don’t want you going up there. Find somewhere safe down here.” He said looking worried. Maria smiled at him.  
“I’ll be fine, Shadow. You go and save the world from Ivo. I know you can.” She said encouragingly. Shadow actually gave a small smile to her.  
“Whoa! You can smile!? I didn’t know you were physically capable of that!” Sonic exclaimed, then grinned next to Shadow. Shadow’s smile immediately went away and he gave Sonic a smack on the back of the head.  
“Don’t worry about anything Shadow. I’ll stay with Maria and keep her safe. And we can have some girl talk while we wait for you to get back.” Rouge said, smiling.  
“Thank you Rouge. I am truly grateful for all that you’ve done for me. I’ll have to repay you somehow.” Shadow said to her.  
“You can get me a drink some time,” Rouge replied with a wink.  
The group of four then flew up to the ARK. Thanks to Tails’ expert flying and Shadow’s powers, they were able to dodge any weapons systems around the space colony. They flew in to dock and immediately got out and ran.  
“So which way to that cannon?” Sonic asked as they ran the hallways.  
“I haven’t been here for 50 years. I didn’t even know about a cannon! But if I know my creator as well as I do, then I have a guess. Just follow me.” Shadow replied. He then ran a little bit faster so that he was ahead of them all to lead them.  
“Hey! Don’t run too fast guys! I’m carrying a giant freaking emerald here!” Knuckles yelled after them. Tails laughed and helped him with carrying the emerald.  
They found the room with the cannon right as Eggman put in the last Chaos Emerald. He pushed the power button and it began to charge. Eggman turned to see them all there. He grinned evilly at them.  
“You’re all too late! All it’s got to do it charge up and then I can fire at will! If the world doesn’t want me to destroy it, then they will make me the supreme ruler! I already broadcasted my message about it.” Eggman yelled and laughed his evil laugh.  
“Not gonna happen, Egghead! Do it now Knuckles!” Sonic yelled. Knuckles then lifted the Master Emerald over his head and began to focus.  
All the emeralds began to glow. Soon, the Chaos Emeralds all grew dull in color as they were essentially turned off. It seemed like it was going to work. They were all depowered. But as soon as the cannon stopped charging, it started again. The Chaos Emeralds all began to turn back on, one by one.  
Shadow yelled out in pain and he clutched his chest and fell to his knees. “What the!? Shadow what’s wrong!? Ah!” Sonic exclaimed, worried for Shadow but then the same thing happened to him.  
Eggman chuckled evilly. “Didn’t I forget to mention? The cannon has a little feature. If the Chaos Emeralds don’t have power, the cannon triggers them to draw power from any other source of Chaos Energy to make them repower themselves. You can’t stop the cannon since you have Chaos energy inside you! You’re powering the world’s demise!” He said and laughed.  
“Ngh… I feel like… the life is… getting sucked right out of me…” Sonic managed to say.  
“No… I need to… keep the world safe… I refuse… to be defeated!” Shadow managed to say. He began to crawl slowly towards Eggman and the cannon.  
Tails was thinking, then he got an idea. “Wait, Sonic! You and Shadow are both connected to the Chaos Emeralds. So you both might be able to go super! If you do that then you two can attack the cannon and overload it! It couldn’t make the Chaos Emeralds draw energy from the Master Emerald. So the cannon must have a limit to the power it can store!” He exclaimed.  
Sonic then grinned. “Great idea buddy!” He said and managed to push himself up. He winced as he made his way over to Shadow. He held out his hand to him.  
“Come on Shadow! You and me!” He grinned. Shadow nodded and took his hand. Sonic helped pull him up.  
Shadow then raised his hands to the emeralds. He focused intensely and they all shook in their slots. Sonic grabbed Shadow’s arm and held his hand out as well. All the emeralds then flew to them. They then began to float around Sonic and Shadow. In a moment, Sonic and Shadow were transformed into Super Sonic and Super Shadow.  
“No! That can’t be!” Eggman exclaimed. Super Sonic and Super Shadow glared at him and then flew off to the outside of the ARK.  
The two began to use their powers to beat the cannon. They punched and kicked it. Shadow used his Chaos attacks. They used spin attacks. But it was still charging up, unfazed. They floated in space, trying to figure out what to do.  
“We need more power to overwhelm it!” Sonic exclaimed. Shadow then looked at him.  
“I have what we need. But I won’t be able to stay conscious afterward. Attack at the same time as I do.” Shadow told him.  
Shadow then whipped off his inhibitor rings. The two super hedgehogs then yelled and attacked the cannon with a huge burst of pure Chaos energy. There was a blinding flash of light. When the light finally faded, the cannon was destroyed. Shadow, back to his normal black and red was unconscious like he said.  
Sonic was fading back to blue. He saw Shadow was going to fall to the Earth. So with the very last of his super energy, he flew and grabbed Shadow. He held him tightly, refusing to let Shadow fall to the Earth and get hurt. He promised Maria he would help him after all.  
Knuckles finished up tying up a beaten up Eggman. He gave him another punch just for good measure.  
“Yeah! That’s what you get when you mess with the guardian of the Master Emerald! You stupid egg!” He yelled. Tails ran off from some computers back to his plane.  
“Knuckles come on! Sonic and Shadow are going to fall back down to the planet!” He exclaimed.  
“What? Oh, shoot! Ok!” Knuckles said. They both ran to the plane. Knuckles threw Eggman in carelessly and then gently placed the Master Emerald inside. They both jumped in and took off.  
“Sonic!” Tails called out as they flew to them.  
Sonic looked over and saw them. He held out one hand, with the other keeping a tight hold on Shadow. Knuckles grabbed his hand and pulled them inside.  
“Do you always have to cut it so close?” Knuckles asked Sonic with a look. Sonic grinned back at him.  
“It’s more exciting this way! Isn’t it?” He said. Tails flew them all back down to the Earth.  
Tails landed his plane where Maria and Rouge were waiting for them. “You’re back! You did it! You defeated the evil Egghead!” Maria cheered.  
“I’m right here you know!” Eggman exclaimed, sad about being defeated.  
“Don’t get me started with you!” Maria yelled at him. She then went over to Sonic, who was still holding Shadow in his arms.  
“Shadow. Is he…?” She asked, fearing for the worst.  
Sonic smiled at her. “Don’t you worry Maria! I said I would help him right? He’s fine. He just used a lot of Chaos energy and passed out. But I’m sure he’ll wake up.” Sonic reassured her.  
Maria breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh thank goodness. Thank you all so much.” She said.  
“You know, with Sonic holding Shadow like that, Shadow almost looks like a cute sleeping princess with Sonic as his prince.” Rouge teased with a smirk.  
“Does that mean I have to give him a kiss?” Sonic questioned with genuine confusion.  
Shadow’s eyes snapped open and he smacked Sonic. He immediately got up and brushed himself off. Sonic laughed behind him, not even bothered. Rouge gave Shadow a smirk.  
“Aww, I kinda wanted to see that though.” Rouge continued to tease. She went over to Shadow and put her arm around him playfully.  
“Please Rouge, personal boundaries. Remember?” Shadow said with arms crossed and looking away from her.  
“No, you’re not allowed to say that anymore. Now that I know how affectionate you really are. Thanks, Maria.” She said back to him and then to Maria. Maria giggled at that.  
Shadow’s face flushed in embarrassment as he looked at Maria as if he has been betrayed. He then shook his head and began to leave them. He went a few feet away when he stopped.  
“Goodbye. I have to leave now. I’m sure GUN and ARM have been fighting each other this entire time over my escape. I must return to them.” He explained.  
“What!? Why!?” Sonic asked.  
“Our deal with each other has never officially ended. I must return to being their weapon for missions. I can’t have them harming Maria and her family.” Shadow answered.  
“No way! You can’t go back! We just saved the whole world together! You deserve to be free!” Sonic yelled back.  
Shadow turned around and faced him. “My freedom means nothing if Maria is harmed! This is what I have to do!” He yelled as well.  
“I will fight you if you try to leave back to them!” Sonic yelled and he got into a fighting stance. Shadow got into one as well.  
“I will gladly fight you, Sonic,” Shadow responded.  
“Can’t those people just… make a new deal?” Knuckles then asked out loud. Everyone stopped and looked at him in surprise. “What?” He asked.  
“Did Knuckles just… make a good point?” Sonic asked in shock. Rouge then stepped in-between Sonic and Shadow.  
“As a high ranking member of GUN, I say it’s about time that’s happened. GUN has had the same deal with ARM for 50 years. It’s time for a change. The hard part is how to convince the two sides to agree to a new deal.” She said.  
“That actually shouldn't be a problem. Take a look around everyone.” Tails spoke up, gesturing to around them all.  
There was a crowd of people that were gathered around them. And growing larger by the minute. The people spoke to themselves.  
“Hey is that the hedgehogs that saved all of us?”  
“Yeah, it is!”  
“Wait, which one is Sonic? The black one or the blue one?”  
“You know, I have no idea.”  
“Sonic is the blue one stupid! Don’t you pay attention to the news!?”  
Sonic looked over to Tails, he was confused and then smiled big. “Tails, you technical genius! How did you get them to know what happened?” He asked.  
Tails smiled. “Well, Eggman broadcasted a message to the world. So… I did a little broadcasting as well with the tech of the ARK combined with my Miles Electric.” He explained proudly.  
“But that would mean…” Rouge began to say.  
“...GUN and ARM must have seen it too!” Maria finished.  
“I betcha the president will want to talk to the Earth’s heroes. Let’s get the heads of GUN and ARM there too. That way the new deal will be official and they won’t be able to do anything about it!” Sonic suggested, puffing out his chest triumphantly.  
That’s just what they did. They stopped GUN and ARM’s fight. They asked the leaders to both come with them. They all traveled to speak with the president. It was a long discussion, but they finally came to an agreement. Shadow will no longer be a prisoner or weapon for the groups. He will be free to live with Maria as he wishes. But he will work as a kind of freelance soldier. The two groups can call him for missions, but this time with pay like any other agent. He is now considered a citizen of the country.  
Shadow couldn’t believe it. He was officially free. For the first time in his life, he could do anything he wished. He knew exactly what he wanted to do. He had lots of time to make up with Maria. And for the first time in a long, as he moved his stuff from Prison Island to Maria’s home, he felt at peace and truly happy.  
What nobody knew was that GUN had a little plan. GUN got the files of Project Shadow before Rouge deleted them. Some files in it were lost, but it was mostly there. One thing that was mostly there, was the notes on how Shadow was created. What was needed to create him and such. They could easily substitute whatever it is that wasn’t there with their level of technology.  
So in a GUN facility, an entire army of Shadows was being created. Their codename being, Shadow Android. Combining what they had on Project Shadow and they’re own robotic expertise. At the very front of the army in-process, was a robot that was being built. Its codename was… Metal Shadow.


End file.
